Raiders Pull Away From East Rowan In Second Half

BY BRYAN STRICKLAND
SALISBURY POST

The South Rowan girls are in a hurry to show everyone how good they are.

But in a season that more resembles a marathon than a dash, the Raiders learned a little bit Tuesday night about pacing themselves.

The Raiders tried to run over rival East Rowan in the first half but found that they were simply standing in place. So in the second half South successfully shifted gears and ran away with a 57-50 victory.

"We're not as patient as we need to be," said South coach James Greene, whose Raiders improved to 2-0. "We've got to be very quick but not be hurried. I thought we were hurrying things in the first half.

"We challenged the girls at halftime to show more patience, and they accepted the challenge."

South showed its patience on the offensive end, but the Raiders didn't slow the defensive pace one bit. Their fullcourt press eventually got to East, forcing the Mustangs into seven of their 25 turnovers during the decisive third quarter.

East, playing its first game of the season, led most of the first half and still held a 31-26 advantage midway through the third quarter. But South ripped off 12 straight points over the next two minutes to build a 38-31 lead that never dropped below five points the rest of the way.

"With all five starters back, we should have handled the pressure better," said East coach Gina Talbert.

"The press bothered us, but the thing with our girls is that when they make one mistake they think they're gone.

"You can't be scared to make mistakes - that's a part of basketball. With our experience, that shouldn't be the case."

South's experience shone through during the 12-0 spurt. A lot of talk in the offseason centered on newcomers Jackie Wood and Porchia Byrd, but the old guard of Janetta Heggins (25 points) and Latoya Ramsey (10) paced the big run.

Wood started it with a free throw, then Heggins slashed through the East press for a layup and hit a follow shot the next time down to tie it at 31-31.

Ramsey then stepped in the passing lane for a steal and went for an uncontested layup for a 33-31 lead - South's biggest to that point. After Emily Rich missed a pair of shots for East, Heggins took the rebound coast-to-coast and hit another layup, ending up in a split position after drawing a foul from Rich.

The free throw made it 36-31, and Ramsey closed the run with a breakaway layup after an airball by Brooke Misenheimer.

"Defensively we were a little relaxed in the first half, but in the second half we picked it up," Ramsey said. "I think everybody was a little too excited. Every year this is a big rivalry.

"But in the second half we came out and found our patience."

South's first-half cause was hindered in part by foul trouble. Byrd picked up her second foul just two minutes into the game and Wood got her second with one minute left in the quarter, and both had three fouls with four minutes left in the half.

East took advantage, thanks in large part to the hot shooting of Nicole Loggins. Loggins hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter to give East a 12-6 lead, and after South took a 22-21 lead late in the half, Loggins hit a reverse layup and another 3-pointer to give the Mustangs at 26-22 halftime edge.

But most of the Mustangs struggled with their shooting. Khara Bost was slowed by foul trouble, and Julie Austin couldn't consistently find the range.

"It was our first game, and you could tell in our shooting," Talbert said. "We missed so many layups.

"I'm very disappointed in the offense. It's the first game, but I still expected us to do better."

South built its lead to 51-41 with 1:30 left on a pair of free throws by Heggins, but East whittled it down to 53-48 on a three-point play by Austin with 42 seconds to go.

But at the other end, South's April Sides got ahead of East's press for a layup that put it out of reach.

"At first I was too excited about this team," Ramsey said. "I've calmed down a whole lot now and realize that we're not all that.

"We can be beat, but we don't want to beat ourselves. We have to keep our heads together."

NOTES: Loggins paced East with 22 points. Bost finished with 11 and Austin had 10. ... Wood added 14 for South. ... The Raiders showed their depth by playing all 10 players in the first quarter and by winning without either Abby Cress or Byrd scoring. East played only eight players. ... The one player South didn't play was point guard Jennifer Hauss, who was participating in a parade in Charlotte. "She has a definite role on this team," Greene said. "Anytime anybody is missing, we feel it."